Bail
by Je suis Maene
Summary: "Mr. Reed's bail conditions.." I read thoughtfully. I looked into his eyes. "Bail conditions..?" He snatched the paper from my hand, storming off. I could see the fury in his eyes.


**A quick one-shot for my favorite couple IN THE WORLD, Christian and Tara**

**Die, Ethan. Please die. **

**Doc manager is being a butt, so forgive me **

**Please read all of it! I beg :3**

**_Falling_**

"Five _hours _of practicing!" I huffed as I dropped to the floor. My feet ached from being on point so much.

Christian laughed—a rare sight—, sitting down next to me."You just hate hip hop."

"Well I am awful at it," I groaned and rolled my eyes.

"True."

"Hey!" I playfully shoved him in the arm.

"Well, I need a walk," he sighed as he got up. "Want to come?"

"Sure."

He reached a hand out to me to help me up, but I fell back in pain.

"I wish these shoes were never invented," I muttered, untied my point shoes and winced. I must be a true dancer—my feet were blistered and bloody.

"Ow," Christian handed me my bag—he knew Kat forced me to keep an emergency dancers-feet-repair kit. After I cleaned off my feet and bandaged them, I slipped on my socks and wobbled with Christian to the food court.

"You walk slow," Christian gave me a half smile. I smacked him on the shoulder.

"Shut up."

I laughed as he pulled me on his back, carrying me on the darkening path to the food court.

~ Line Line Line ~

"Christian? What did you do to my poor Tara?" Kat asked as she and Sammy walked up—their last class was delayed an hour. One glance at my feet answered her question. "Dancer's feet. Bet you miss being on the bar now."

Sammy looked once at Christian and a look I didn't understand passed between them. "We should probably get to class," he said to Kat.

Kat checked Hello Kitty watch on her wrist and nodded. "Yeah. See you, Tara. See you Christian."

Waving, the two walked off, leaving him and me alone. "Wait, I just noticed something." Christian stopped and I slid off his back.

"What?"

"You left your shoes in the studio."

"Oh my gosh," I put my hand on my forehead. "Your right."

"Want to just go back later?" he asked, slinging his bag over his shoulder.

"Sure."

We walked along the campus while we talked. A crack in the sidewalk caused Christian to stumble, dropping his backpack and all its contents on the ground.

I reached down to help him pick it up. He seemed rushed, as if there was something he didn't want me to see—he kept dropping things. At last, all there was left was a blue binder. The headline of a paper sticking out caught my eye and I held it in the light for a second.

"Mr. Reed's bail conditions.." I read thoughtfully. I looked into his eyes. "Bail conditions..?"

He snatched the paper from my hand, storming off. I could see the furry in his eyes.

"Christian!" I jogged after him, wincing as my bare feet hit the side walk. "Christian, wait!"

We were mostly under building overhangs right now, so I had to pick my way carefully so I didn't trip. I finally caught up to him, grabbing his shoulder and stopping him.

"What?" he snapped.

I stared into his eyes defiantly. "You know 'what'."

Christian looked away, biting his cheek.

I softened my gaze. "Can we please talk?" I asked softly. We stood so close; I could feel his breath on my face. "Christian _please—_talk to me."

No answer.

"You know you can."

After a moment he finally looked back, sighing. "Uh, ok." Christian grabbed my wrist, walking without saying anything. The sky darkened and the street lights turned on. Finally, he stopped at the third year building where we usually talked. Underneath the balcony, we sat with our legs dangling over the harbor, our shoulders brushing. My heart thudded and I looked down, unable to hide a small, pleased smile, despite the friction between us.

"I did some bad things," he leaned his elbows on his knees.

My smile dropped. "Like..?"

"Like a lot of things you don't want to know about."

Realization hit me. "During the second week—you talked about your brother, how you were in trouble. How he didn't help. That was it, wasn't it?" I mimicked his position so I could look him in the eye, though he looked straight ahead.

Christian paused. "Yeah, it uh, it was." He was clearly uncomfortable talking about this with me, but I needed to know.

"So are you…ok now?" I asked slowly.

"I have a court date next month, and if it goes well, yeah. But I need more personal witnesses of character, so.."

"What's a personal witness of character?" I frowned.

"Family, close friends, teachers, things like that saying how my behavior is. How I'm a 'model citizen' or whatever." He still wouldn't look at me.

My heart thudded as I got an idea. "Do you want me to help?"

He scoffed. "Now how would you do that."

"Talking in court for you. Or a written statement, or whatever it is."

Christian finally looked at me. "You'd do that?"

"Of course." I paused, picking my words carefully. My voice was barely a whisper. "I care about you, Christian, and I don't want to see you in trouble."

For what seemed like forever, he stared at me, mystified.

"Th-thanks," he had a tiny half smiled and my heart sped up. Christian started leaning forward and I felt like I could barely breathe.

"W-we should probably get back," I murmured, flustered. My bare feet couldn't grip the edge and I stumbled as I stood up, nearly falling into the harbor. I gasped as I fell backwards, and at the last second, Christian caught my wrists and pulled me back—my face was inches from his. I couldn't look away from his eyes, and my breath caught in my throat. Once more we stood there for a long while, not blinking, until everything around Christian was blurry and black. I closed my eyes as he leaned forward, brushing his lips against mine. He pulled back and a tiny half smile lighted his face. Why hadn't I ever noticed how white his teeth were?

"That was your first kiss, wasn't it?"

I smiled sheepishly, looking down. We were still inches from each other.

He pushed my hair over my shoulder with one hand, sliding his other until he was holding my hand.

"Maybe.."

* * *

><p>~ Line Line Line ~<p>

* * *

><p>"Five <em>hours <em>of practicing!" Tara groaned at the end of last class. I laughed and sat down.

"_You _just don't like hiphop."

"Well I am awful at it."

"True," I smirked.

"Hey!" she playfully shoved my arm and I tried not to smile.

_People are still in the studio, _I thought. I don't like people talking about me, and they would if they saw me with Tara. "Well, I need a walk," I said, reaching a hand out to her. "Want to come?"

"Sure." Tara tried to stand up, but fell back. I winced as she pulled off her shoes—her feet were bloody.

She kept a first aid kit thing in her bag, I knew, so I tossed the pink tote to her. Expertly she bandaged

them and slipped on her socks before walking with me.

It was obvious her feet were hurting her from the look on her face. "You walk slow." I smirked.

"Shut up."

I sighed, pulling her on my back.

~ Line Line Line ~

"Christian? What did you do to my poor Tara?" Kat walked up with Sammy. At least Sammy was with her, otherwise Kat would never leave.

I flashed a look at him while Tara and Kat talked. He nodded slightly.

"We should probably get to class," he said to Kat.

Kat checked a hello kitty watch on her wrist and nodded. "Yeah. See you, Tara. See you, Christian." I nearly sighed in relief when they walked in the other direction.

"Wait, I just noticed something." I stopped and Tara slid off my back.

"What?"

"You left your shoes in the studio."

"Oh my gosh," she put my hand on her forehead. "Your right."

"Want to just go back later?" I slung my bag over my shoulder—I didn't want to go back just yet.

"Sure."

We walked along the campus, talking as the sky grew dimmer. A crack on the sidewalk made me stumble, and my backpack contents tumbled out. _Blue binder blue binder…_I searched franticly, shoving things aimlessly in my bag. To my horror, Tara grabbed it before I did.

"Mr. Reed's bail conditions.." she read the headline of the paper sticking out. She looked in my eyes, puzzled. At least unlike most girls, she didn't look scared. "Bail conditions."

None the less, I didn't want her know this about me. I snatched the paper, storming off in fury.

I could hear Tara calling my name, but I didn't stop. I _never _wanted her to know this about me. I don't want anyone to know this about me—Sammy did anyway, and he was speaking at my court case, but no one else knew. Of all people, Tara was the last I would have told. People get scared of me. They don't want to deal with me. Even my own brother wouldn't talk to me.

I felt someone grab my shoulder and spun me around. "What!" I snapped.

"You know what."

I shouldn't have snapped at her—I knew she wanted to help, but I couldn't let her. Unable to meet Tara's gaze, I looked away, biting my cheek. Her voice softened, and she sounded concerned more than upset. "Can we please talk?" she asked softly. I didn't answer, and I still couldn't meet her eyes. "Christian _please—_talk to me."

It was killing me not to answer, but I couldn't let her know about this.

"You know you can."

Four simple words changed my plan so fast. I could trust Tara, couldn't I?

I looked back at Tara, rubbing the back of my neck and sighing. "Uh, ok." I grabbed her wrist and we walked without talking, trying not to fall on the rocks. I stopped at the third year building where we usually talked. Underneath the balcony, we sat with our legs dangling over the harbor, our shoulders brushing. I still couldn't meet her eyes, though she tried to see mine. My elbows on my knees, I leaned forward, looking at the water.

"I did some bad things," I started, awkwardly.

"Like..?" she prodded.

No matter what, she couldn't know what I did exactly. "Like a lot of things you don't want to know about."

Her voice was still soft, concerned, but it didn't fully relax me. "During the second week—you talked about your brother, how you were in trouble. How he didn't help. That was it, wasn't it?" Tara tried to sit the same way I did, to look me in the eyes, but I refused to look at her.

"Yeah, it uh, it was."

"So are you…ok now?" she asked slowly.

I nodded. "I have a court date next month, and if it goes well, yeah. But I need more personal witnesses of character, so.."

"What's a personal witness of character?" Tara frowned.

Whenever I told someone this, I think I'm only hanging around with them to get help in court. _Please don't let Tara be one of them. _"Family, close friends, teachers, things like that saying how my behavior is. How I'm a 'model citizen' or whatever." I still couldn't look at her.

"Do you want me to help?"

I scoffed. "Now how would you do that." There wasn't any way to help.

"Talking in court for you. Or a written statement, or whatever it is."

For a second I thought I heard her wrong. For the first time since she found the paper, I looked her in the eyes. "You'd do that?"

"Of course." She paused. When Tara finally spoke again, her voice was barely a whisper. "I care about you, Christian, and I don't want to see you in trouble."

All I could do was stare at her, mystified. People usually didn't care about me, and they never wanted to help me in court. I usually had to beg them. But Tara actually cares.

"Th-thanks," I smiled just a bit before I remembered how close we were. _Maybe.._ I started leaning forward, carefully, looking to see her reaction.

"W-we should probably get back," Tara murmured, flustered. She sprang up, while I stood more slowly, disappointed.

Her foot slipped of the side when she spun to walk away, making her lose her balance and start falling into the harbor. I heard her gasp as she fell backwards, and suddenly I reached out, trying to catch her wrists. I easily pulled her back—dancing made her practically weightless and made me strong. And then, my face was inches from Tara's. It was her turn to decide what happened now. For a long time she stood there, looking me in the eyes, not moving. Not blinking. I never really noticed how pretty her eyes were. The tiny windows into her thoughts closed as I leaned forward, once more. I closed my eyes as well, brushing my lips against her. In a flash, I remembered something from week two.

"That was your first kiss, wasn't it?"

She smiled sheepishly, looking down. We were still inches from each other.

I pushed her hair over her shoulder with the back of one hand, to see her face, while sliding my other until I was holding Tara's hand.

"Maybe.."

**Hope you liked it :) I did. Bwuhahah. Keep an eye out for more Christian/Tara one-shots!**

**Please gimme your ideas! I'll try anything..almost :) **


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